It’s the biggest heatwave Europe has known – the “dog days”, as they were known, when Sirius (the “Dog Star”) rises at the same time as the sun, giving rise the to the hot, sultry days of summer. Marlowe and Vlad go to Marcé-sur-Esves in Touraine to set off on a walk of about 9 km. The village church has distinctive modern stained-glass windows, and they are very striking. The walk turns into a quest for water when Marlowe starts panting – it’s about 37.2 degrees C in the shade like the title of the 1986 French film (“Betty Blue” in English) – but in Touraine you’re never far from a river. And all to the music of the American singer Mark Lanegan who deserves to be better known in Europe, but that’s just Marlowe’s humble doggy opinion (The Beast in Me is one of his favourite songs…).